The alcohol industry has youth in mind when they create advertising. They want to attract young people to their brand and create “brand loyalty” that will last a lifetime.

Does it work? You bet it does. Studies have shown that advertising with youth-oriented themes leads works with young people. Young audiences are more likely to think those advertised products are attractive and valuable.

In a study, one group of young people responded that they usually noticed alcohol ads. That group had more positive attitudes toward drinking than other youths had. They also were more likely than other young people to say that they planned to drink alcohol when they were adults. Finally, that same group drank more alcohol while underage than young people who were less familiar with alcohol advertising.

FACT 1
Young Americans see about 75,000 ads for alcohol by their 16th birthday.
Advertisers of all kinds of products try to attract young people. Why? Two reasons: (1) Teens often have plenty of “disposable income” (money they don’t need to live on.) And (2) advertisers want to create ”brand loyalty” in young people. They want you to get attached to their brand so that you will keep using it into the future.

FACT 2
Alcohol advertisers spend about $800 million on television and radio advertising each year. Most television ads featuring alcohol appeared during prime time and on weekend afternoons (when kids are likely to be watching), and also late in the evening.It is common for alcohol companies to place ads in magazines that are popular with young people, like Rolling Stone, Details, and Spin.

FACT 3
Alcohol companies spend about $100 million on billboard advertising each year. Alcohol billboards are more common in low-income and minority neighborhoods. That means that the people in these neighborhoods could be more at risk for developing dangerous drinking habits.

FACT 4
The Internet features more than 75 alcohol web sites. More than half of these sites appeal to young people using elements like “youth language,” cartoons, interactive games, and information on youth-oriented music and culture. 82% of the beer sites and 72% of the liquor (distilled spirits) sites are youth-oriented.

FACT 5
Items like hats, t-shirts, watches, backpacks, and drinking glasses are designed to be most attractive to young people. Wear some of this apparel around and you become a walking advertisement for the brand. Ads on kids are most effective at reaching -- guess who? – other kids.

FACT 6
Advertisers of all kinds pay moviemakers and television producers to feature their products in movies and TV shows. It’s called “product placement.” Whenever you see a character in a movie using a brand name product, the moviemaker received some kind of fee. Advertisers like product placements for two main reasons: (1) They can hit their target audience directly. (2) The audience associates the product with the hit movie and hot movie star. Advertisers say, if Brad Pitt or Jennifer Lopez is going to order a beer in a movie anyway, why not make it our brand name beer? In that way, the audience thinks that the hot star likes that brand name beer.

Alcohol and tobacco product placements are very common in movies targeted at youth audiences, including PG and PG-13 movies. You may even see alcohol product placements on your favorite TV shows.

FACT 7
One-third of beer commercials on TV include either someone driving a car or people swimming, boating, surfing, water skiing, or hanging out by a pool or at the beach. These ads send the message that beer goes great with these activities – very irresponsible. Accidents – like car crashes, drownings, and falls – are the leading cause of death of people ages 15-24. Drinking alcohol greatly increases the chances of these accidents happening.